Niata cattle
Extinct breed of dwarf cattle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Niata or Ñata is an extinct breed of dwarf cattle from Uruguay and Argentina.[1]: xxvi It was observed and described by Charles Darwin in the 1830s. One was exhibited at the Segunda Exposición Internacional de Ganadería y Agricultura in Buenos Aires in April 1890. By the early twentieth century the Niata was nearly or completely extinct.
- Argentina
- Uruguay
History
An early description of the Niata is that from November 1833 by Charles Darwin, who twice saw cattle of this type.[2]: 273 [3]: 146 [4]: 332 [5]: 51
George Ernest Gibson bought two in 1889, one of which was exhibited at the Segunda Exposición Internacional de Ganadería y Agricultura in Buenos Aires in April 1890.[2]: 277
Darwin described the Niata as a true breed, in which mating of a cow and bull resulted in calves of the same type;[6]: 263 a morphometric and genetic study of museum specimens in 2018 found it to conform to modern definitions of a breed.[7] He suggested that the Niata had been eradicated by estancieros who believed it to be poorly adapted to the environment and of little use.[2]: 274 By the early twentieth century it was nearly or completely extinct.[2]: 277
Characteristics
The Niata differed from other cattle only in its markedly foreshortened skull; it did not display other signs of chondrodysplasia. The shape of the skull did not impede its breathing.[8]
According to Gibson, the usual colour was dun, with black legs.[2]: 277
Both Darwin and Ramón Lista describe the Niata as fierce or wild;[6]: 263 [2]: 274 Gibson discusses a small herd that was "exceedingly tame'".[2]: 277
